Love and Honour
by CharmedSerenity
Summary: Revised Slashfic! The Centaur Trio have been comrades and friends for as long as they can remember. But is there a deeper level to their relationship than even they know?


Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Rancher. 

Author's Note: This is set between the Warriors of the Ruins and Melcarba episodes. I may or may not leave this as a short one-shot. Depending on how the romance goes down (reviews will speak for themselves), I'll write more, either as further chapters or an extended story.

* * *

The sound of metal clashing on metal rang though the air as clear as a bell and the silent watcher looked down at his closest friends. After this practice bout with each other had finished, he would take his turn.

Dragoon stepped back and lunged forward, swinging his blade at Celious.

Celious used the head of his long-handled axe to block the attack, eyes narrowing as he looked for an opening to launch a mock counter-attack.

Dragoon made a slight smirk as he slashed, only to be blocked by Celious' weapon before he spun around and brought up one of his rear legs, delivering a strong kick.

Celious reacted quickly when Dragoon spun around and used the wooden part of his weapon to block the kick as best he could, the handle taking the damage instead.

The inaudible sound of rubble being disturbed made him jerk his head up and he glanced over his shoulder with narrowed eyes, tensing to spin around if the need arose as his grip on the handle of his spear tightened. An enemy?

"Heyyyy, long time, no see" a voice piped up as a blurr of motion skidded to a halt next to him.

"Genki" Centaur replied quietly, giving the boy a solemn nod as way of a greeting "What are you doing back?"

"We were just passing by and decided to see if you were ok after that deal with the Salamanders" he replied.

"They were taken care of" the monster replied, nodding at a group of Lost Disks in the coliseum.

"Yeah" Genki nodded, quietly watching the battle between Celious and Dragoon for a moment or two, then he added "You know, you guys remind me of the three Musketeers, what with you being warriors, your code of honour and all"

"Who are the three Musketeers?" was the reply as Centaur shifted, his hooves clacking on the stone floor and threw the boy a curious look, wondering who he was talking about.

"They were a trio of warriors honour-bound to serve and protect the king of a country in my world, I had to read the book in school" Genki replied, then turned to look at the battle below.

Turning his attention back to his duelling comrades, Centaur shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing as his comrades continued their combat practice, observing their muscular bodies tensing as they blocked each other's blows and he felt his heart start beating a little faster before he shivered a little on noticing the sweat glistening on Dragoon's scaled body before frowning. What was happening to him?

Noticing an odd look, that of longing, flash across Centaur's face for a split-second as he watched the combatants, Genki blinked almost naïvely as his mind began to connect the proverbial dots. Golem had looked at Undine like that, Pixie looked at Big Blue like that. Heck, his dad looked at his mom like that sometimes. Was it...

There was only one way to find out...

"So what was that look about?" the boy piped up, rubbing his index finger along the base of his nose while keeping his voice curiously innocent.

"What are you talking about?" his friend replied, raising an eye-ridge defensively.

"Do you like them more than you realise?" Genki commented quietly.

"What? I am waiting for my turn" Centaur spun around so fast, he nearly fell off the stadium wall.

"I've seen that look before" Genki whispered, eying the horse-like monster with one eye open and the other closed.

"What look?" Centaur retorted, shifting uncomfortably like he was suddenly in denial of how he had been feeling a moment or two ago.

"You know, the look" Genki went on, almost winking at his friend and ally.

"No, I'm afraid I do not know to what look you mean" the horse-like monster replied calmly, starting to feel flustered and confused, almost like a trapped animal, what was the boy implying or hinting at?

"GENKI, DINNER!!!" Suezo's voice echoed from outside the coliseum.

"Well, catch ya later" Genki nodded as he turned around and his friend silently watched him speed out of the coliseum on those unusual wheeled shoes that he seemed to wear a lot, Centaur almost sighing in relief as he went.

As the boy left, Centaur shifted slightly, still feeling awkward and frowned slightly, lost in the memory of when he had first met the boy.

_"Celious, no, Dragoon" he heard himself yelling and watched the part of the coliseum they were standing on crumbling and falling towards the ground, taking his closest friends and comrades with it, and for a moment while doubting that they had survived that, he felt like part of himself had died too for a moment._

Shaking his head slightly and banishing that memory, scared of it almost, Centaur drew himself up and monitored the fight once more, his inner thoughts now in turmoil. Was Genki right? Was he in love? If so, with one or both and would they return such feelings?

"Hey, Centaur, you going to join us or not?" Dragoon's voice suddenly cut across his thoughts as the leader of the trio smiled slightly on noticing his comrades watching him, their combat paused for a moment, then hid the expression quickly, only time would tell him, and his heart, the answer to his question, but for now, until he knew how he and the other two felt about each other, he would keep such feelings private...


End file.
